her chances of a full recovery in time for the winter games. >>>letusstartthis morning with the decision by the postal service to end saturday mail delivery. nbc's tom costello is in a post office in washington, d.c. good morning. >> reporter: matt, good morning to you. this was a major move that the postal service is undertaking, losing $16 billion a year as it is forced to fund future retiree medical benefits. and congress still hasn't gotten around to addressing the issue. the postal service will act on its own to save money and here's the plan. starting august 1st, the usps will stop saturday mail delivery and will however continue package delivery and we should say medical delivery, in other words, pills and that kind of thing. mail delivery to post office boxes will continue on saturday. post offices would remain open on saturday. the estimating savings here is $2 billion a year. while it's true that first class mail has fallen off a cliff as you and i and everybody else shifts to e-mail, packaged delivery is soaring for the post office, up 14% in two years, becau

nbc's michele kosinski is in south africa on the storyforusthismorning. michele, good morning. give us the latest. >> hi, savannah. oscar pistorius sobbed his body shaking as this ruling was read and you could say in many ways this was expected, but this judge kept everyone guessing. his ruling lasted two hours. he criticized the prosecution, then said that it doesn't mean their case is not strong. then he hit pistorius saying he has problems with his story about what happened that morning. ultimately ruling, though, pistorius is not a flight risk, not a danger to the public. he will be released on bail tonight. >> the accused is not a flight risk. >> reporter: listen to the reaction on audio feed at the moment the ruling on bail was finally read. >> the accused has made a case to be released on bail. >> yeah! >> reporter: oscar pistorius entered the court with a calm demeanor looking more collected, even confident than we've seen. head forward, eyes closed. prosecutors picked up their argument, again ripping into pistorius' account of what happened the morning reeva steenkamp

down a manwhousedtowear a badge. overnight, police teams scour big bear mountain, three hours outside of los angeles. this is where police discovered christopher corner's burnt out truck. the 33-year-old at the center of a massive manhunt. >> we don't know what he's going to do. we don't -- we know what he's capable of doing and we need to find him. >> reporter: heavily armed and extremely dangerous, police say corner, a former lapd officer, navy reservist and sharp shooter, has already killed three and is targeting many more. >> of course he knows what he's doing. we trained him. >> reporter: four years ago corner accused a fellow officer of kicking a suspect in the head, but it was corner who was fired for making false statements in the case. detectives say dorner is targeting officers he names in this manifesto published on-line. you will now live the life of the prey. i never had the opportunity to have a family of my own. i'm term mating yours. -- terminating yours. police say the revenge killings began sunday when monica kwan and keith lawrence were shot to death. kwan's

here. theyaskeduswhatis going on. nobody really got the news. when they told them pope benedict xvi was redesignisignry didn't know. actually, he can, but obviously, no pope has done that for 700 years. so no wonder people are aware of that. for now on that may change the course of the catholic church in the future as well as pope benedict xvi is setting an example. if you don't have the strength to carry on let someone younger and more strength to carry on the mission. >> it certainly is a monument ool announcement. claudio, thank you very much. >>> this morning we spoke with greg burke the senior communication adviser to the holy see in rome. we began by asking him how much of a surprise this was? >> it is a surprise. i people think had fair warning. it was a few years ago in a book called "light of the world," a long interview with a german journalist. the journalist asked the pope if he would resign. and he said something interesting. in the midst of a candle and all that stuff. he said now is not the time. it's not the time to run when you're in great risk and emergency period.

's what the argument was over. >> help, graham,educateusinthe difference between legal procedure between south africa and the united states. so much emotion around this trial, around this case, this is a beloved figure, but he's not appealing to a jury here this would not be a jury trial. >> no, this won't be a jury trial in south africa we don't have juries. when a case initially comes before a court and goes before a magistrate, from a magistrate, it then goes to a high court and a high court depending on the severity of the case and crime, it will be before a judge who will have either one or two assistants to help decide the legitimacy of the allegations and whether or not there is guilt and in the states, where you have a jury, we do not have a jury. >> one of the big questions, of course, you know, in a high-profile case like this, and pistorius talked about it. he is not a flight risk, should be granted bail. given your experience, what is the likelihood of that happening? >> look, it's 50/50. they got the magistrate to rule u.s. a schedule 6 offense, schedule six offense

can, but the leadership, oh, my gosh, like, they'lltellusonething, you know, for example, you know, a tugboat was supposed to come once that first evening. well, we sat on the water for two days with nothing and, you know, the seas were really high. in fact, that night my friends and i we slept in our lifeboats in our bed and i truly, truly, truly thought the boat was going to tip over because it slants at, like, a 45-degree angle one day, and then the next day it's to the other side. and, like, i don't know, pipes are busting. i know the sewer is backing up and, like, water is in the cabins and it's just a nightmare. >> it sounds absolutely horrendous. did i hear you correctly a few moments ago, there are no working toilets or there's just lit -- >> there's -- there's very limited. for example, ours worked one day for one hour. but then it has not worked since then. so, basically we've had an hour of it working. i mean, we have to use the bathroom in these bags in the trash can, you know, like, the vanity trash can and then we have to take it into the hall and put it in these bigg

-base. >> reporter: the economy, invoking a phraseheusedalot in 2012, the middle class. >> a growing economy that creates good, middle-class jobs, that must be the north star that guides our efforts. >> reporter: and taking a page from the last democratic president, bill clinton, by offering a laundry list of poll tested ideas. >> i'm announcing a launch of three more of these manufacturing house, and raise the minimum wage to $9. make high-quality preschool available to every single child in america. a new college score card that parents and students can use. i propose we use some of our oil and gas revenues to fund an energy security crisis. >> reporter: mr. obama adopted a tough tone throughout his address. >> let's set party interests aside and work to pass a budget that replaces reckless cuts with smart savings and wise investments in our future. let's do it without the brinkmanship that scares off investors and stresses consumers. >> reporter: the night's emotional moment, the president's call for congress to at least vote on serious gun control, invoking the memory of gun victims like

itthreatens.u.s. nationalsecurity. he says the united states will continue to take steps necessary to defend ourselves and our allies. and as matt mentioned a moment ago, the security council at the u.n. meeting at this moment to discuss tightening and increasing sanctions against 2340r9 korea, but all of that is for not unless china steps up and takes some responsibility here and itself imposes tougher restrictions on oil shipments and other supplies to north korea. but, you know, at the same time this is an indication that any hopes that the current 29-year-old north korean leader kim jong ill is different than his father. this nuclear test overnight is an indication that he, like his father, are intent on becoming a nuclear power, savannah. >> jim, i know we recently saw in january some very threatening language coming out of the north korean leadership, so this is something the u.s. is watching very, very closely. jim at the pentagon for us. thank you. now here's matt. >>> savannah, thank you. we're learning more about thorng about the vatican's plans to elect a new pope in the wake of p

part of the country this morning. weather channel mike seidel is in kansas city, missouri,forus. goodmorning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. a whiteout here in kansas city, snowing two inches an hour with winds gusting 30 miles an hour. this is a big storm. it will likely be their biggest snowfall in about 20 years. meanwhile, this part of the country is in a terrible drought, so the farmers are happy to see anything, snow or rain, falling from the sky. this may be coming soon to a sidewalk near you. just like this trusty mailman in michigan, millions of americans are already being challenged by a fierce winter storm. in kansas, they are bracing for up to 18 inches of snow in some parts. police in wichita are telli ini folks to stay home. >> we are asking people to stay off the roadways just because of the conditions that are deteriorating. >> reporter: the latest big blast of winter is predicted to hit 18 states, affecting at least 30 million people. all from a storm that hit california and the west coast and is now moving across the country. in tulsa, oklahoma, reduced visibi

authority is the lead investigator. boththeu.s. coastguard and the national transportation safety board, the ntsb, are heavily involved, interviewing passengers and crew, trying to determine why the fire broke out and how it was handled and ultimately trying to prevent something like this from ever happening again. lester? >> thanks. the ordeal on the carnival "triumph" was difficult for everyone on board. for some, it did become a dire emergency. our chief medical correspondent, dr. nancy snyderman, has a story of one family's dream cruise that turned into a hair-raising evacuation on the high seas. [ cheers ] >> they're safe! >> thank you. >> reporter: their trip was supposed to be a birthday party and family reunion at sea. planned for more than a year and including 31 relatives. >> for me it was the most scariest part. i thought they're here for my birthday. >> reporter: this trip of a lifetime was ruined when at 5:30 last sunday the ship's p.a. system sounded alarms. their thoughts instantly turned to one member -- rachel alderett, 54 years old and suffering kidney disease. she nee

the doors of gandolfo close and they leave. let's go down to keir simmons covering it allforus. kear,good morning to you. >> reporter: hey, savannah, good morning, the saints looking down on the square have not seen a day like this in medieval times. in the papal palace, over my shoulder here, the pope, as you say, has been meeting were his cardinals, tells them, i'll be with you in prayer. dawn across rome. this city has seen more than 260 pontiffs, only two popes passed in the last thousand years have left like this. the cardinals, princes of the church, gathered this morning for a warm farewell to pope benedict. some cardinals wants to speak to him for as long as possible. pope benedict will resign just after sunset. this home, this beautiful summer palace, quiet after a frantzic few weeks. >> at 8:00 exactly, he will stop being pope, the swiss guards who stand guard outside the palace and he'll go. >> reporter: rough seas he admitted yesterday and now the task begins of choosing his successor. >> i think there's a yearning out there for something different. somebody new somebody fresh

have the electric supply truck movingbehindus. they'lldo the investigation here and refurbishment here. carnival says it will go back in service. matt, back to you. >> janet, thank you. >>> earlier this morning i talked to triumph passengers julie billings and others and asked them how they're feeling. >> so much better to be back. >> glad to be back. >> have you guys had a chance to take the world's longest, hottest shower yet? >> i did that last night. that was the first thing that we did. i got the kids in the shower and then it was my turn. >> we seemed to miss that. >> you were also traveling with a friend, lorraine and she had a tough experience. she broke her ankle. talk about the circumstances. i know you nursed her for the last couple of days. >> yeah. she took a nasty fall. the ship was dark and they were pushing us with the tug boats and so the ship was moving a lot and jerking and just so happened she got up to use the bathroom at that time and the ship jerked and she couldn't see. she lost her footing and the paramedics came in from the medical center, they picked her

challenge, this one fromtheu.s. governmentand it could cost him millions of dollars. more about that, coming up in a few moments. >>> if you are a parent, likely it's happened. your parents whining and crying about not wanting to go to bed. >> never. never, sawyer. >> one little boy in massachusetts took it a step further. called 911. mom and dad, i'll show you. a tale of the tape and what his mom had to say about it, coming up. >> that is a good one. may have tried karoke singing, chances are, you have never done it inside a taxi. we'll show you -- introduce you to the karoke cab. a big hit. you can see why. jena rocking it out. and we'll give it a whirl on the plaza. may want to turn down the sound for that part. >> hard to top the rehearsal, 6:00 out on the cold plaza. >> out there in the rain. >> with nothing to drink. >> maybe we will be warmed up in the next couple of hours. >> no water? >> you know what i meant. karoke. >>> we begin with wintry weather hitting coast to coast. dylan is tracking the storm. keeping you busy. >> for sure. we have a lot of wet weather to talk about

'reactuallyusingit.a self-proclaimed thief explains how he targets his unsuspecting victims. this will be useful information this morning. >>> and then yahoo! ceo marissa mayor is here with us, her first exclusive interview after returning to work after having a baby. she'll talk about that and a big announcement to make about yahoo! as well. we'll check in with her in a few moments. let us start with what has been a dramatic morning in court at the oscar pistorius' bail hearing. nbc's michele kosinski just left the courtroom. good morning to you. >> reporter: hi, savannah. it's ended and will continue. today we heard debate over whether or not steroids were found in pistorius' home, still unclear, and statements from neighbors who claim they heard fighting, gunshots, screaming, more gunshots as prosecutors punch what they believe are big holes in pistorius' story. >>> oscar pistorius coffers his face in public now, arriving for a second day of his bond hearing. today, comes stunning detail, the chief police investigator says they have witness statements from a woman who say

in cairoforusthismorning. thank you. now here's matt. >>> a huge winter storm is battering the heartland this morning. it's the second blizzard to hit that region in about a week. the weather channel's mike seidel is in wichita, kansas. mike, deja vu all over again. >> reporter: yes, they're digging out from another one today. luckily, the sun is out this morning. here in wichita, you combine both storms, they've now had their snowiest month on record. they've been measuring snow here for 125 years. hit the hardest. in amarillo, they picked up 19 inches yesterday. that makes it their snowiest day on record. howling wind and blinding snow are posing huge problems for motorists in the texas panhandle. several roads are impassable because of whiteout conditions. 12 to 18 inches of snow and drifts as high as six feet are reported. the national weather service calls the texas blizzard crippling and historic. folks in western oklahoma are bringing out their shovels and struggling with the wind. the oklahoma highway patrol is telling all nonessential personnel to stay home until t

's originals for sure. >>> a busy morning, another big story, a terror attack atau.s. embassyin turkey. tamron hall in for natalie at the news desk. >> good morning, everyone. an explosion outside the u.s. embassy in ankara, turkey. local police say a suicide bomber detonated in the -- suicide bomb detonated in the capital city killing at least three people. ambulances at the scene are responding to several people who were wounded. >>> the latest jobs numbers are out this morning. courtney reagan is at the cnbc world headquarters with more. good morning. >> good morning to you, tamron. the first jobs report of 2013 showed 157,000 jobs were added in january. that was the low growth expectation. the unemployment rate dixes up a hair to 7.9%. but thanks to revisions the economy added one third of a million more jobs in 2012 than previously estimated. a large part of those jobs coming in the final months of the year. this as the dow closed out its strongest january in 19 years as we eye 14,000 yet again. >> thank you. >>> and dozens of people are dead in mexico city after a massive explosi

lovedbyus. >>good morning from peter's square, pierre. >> reporter: hey, savannah, good morning. this square erupted with cheers as the pope moved through the crowd. this city of history witnessed something it hasn't seen since 600 years, a pope leaving the papacy. to love the church means to have the courage to make painful, difficult decisions the pope said. i would like to thank everyone for understanding. ♪ 50,000 faithful were invited, thousands more came to celebrate a pope, arriving in his pope mobile. many young people. pope benedict xvi, the first pope they've known and the old who know how his story is. gathering to hear the last testament. and looking on the cardinal, one of these men could soon be pope, the first from pope benedict, a prayer. a final message to his follower followers. >> ask each of you to pray for me and for the new pope i impart my blessing. thank you. [ applause ] >> reporter: this frail man choosing a quieter life. so very different from his predecessor john paul who stayed until the very end. anthony from pennsylvania witnessed both pope's las

through 7th, 1978, 21.7 inches. >>> this morning lawmakers are getting new answersaboutusingdronesto kill suspected terrorists including americans. an issue key at today's c confirmation hearing. michael isikoff is following this story for us. good morning. >> good morning. drone strikes, the obama's administration weapon of choice against terrorists are coming under new scrutiny after a disclosure of a justice department document obtained by nbc news that justifies the targeted killing of americans suspected of being top al qaeda leaders. this is as john brennan faces his nomination today pp a major reversal from the white house pp after years of secretsity, president obama directed to share with members of the house and senate intelligence committees a classified memo laying out the legal drowns for drone strikes targeting u.s. citizens who are suspected operational leaders of al qaeda. >> the news came after this white paper that summarized the legal arguments for targeting u.s. citizens who were sus secretaried al qaeda leaders such as a lackey kic al awlaki been charged for a

. >> forecasterswarningusthisstorm would be a powerhouse. right on target. not very far from studio 1a, a look at times square. crews hard at work cleaning up the snow, and also new jersey, strong winds and surf on the jersey shore. i have to point out, lester, when we first came in and you saw the shot of rockefeller plaza and you didn't see snow, that is because they have been up since the wee hours clearing the white stuff it looks like there was no storm outside studstud studda studio 1a. >> one person reported dead after a traffic in upstate new york. the snowfall totals across the northeast are substantial. in parts of connecticut, nearly 3 feet has fallen. boston and portland, maine, reported snowfalls of up to 25 inches. here in new york city, up to about a foot of snow. power has been knocked out to nearly 650,000 customers, most of them in massachusetts and rhode island, and more than 1,800 flights canceled so far, that on top of the 3,600 that never took off on friday in advance of the pieces of storm, erica. >> you can understand why this storm is giving snow plows, snow blowers an

forusthismorning. good morning. >> lester, good morning. we were here when this happened. all eyes on the track. it was a horrifying crash. a car sheered in half. the injured weren't the drivers in the car but the fans in the stands. >> contact. >> a violent crash that started on the crash and ended in the grandstand. the wreckage of a race car. large chunks of metal and a tire flying into the air and hitting fans as high as 45 rows up. it was the final lap. drivers were jockeying for position when a bump between cars turned terrifying. >> tony stewart is going to win this race. >> it was kyle larsen's car sheered in half and tore through the fence designed to protect fans. the engine burst into flames, as other debris went sailing into the stands. a tire in the stands. people scrambling and waving to get help for the injured. mike wilkinson had a clear view from his seat but couldn't bear to match. >> i was stunned. i saw the car fly up and hit the fans, a fireball erupted. i turned away. i didn't want to see what happened. >> a scene of complete chaos. more than 30 hurt. 14 taken

to you. you guys got to get sleep. we stayed up all night, at least oneofusdid.>> that's right. we wanted to bring you everything you needed to know. all the fashions, the hits, the misses and we're going to take you to the hottest parties after the oscars. it was a great night. we had a lot of fun. >> as you mentioned it started with the 17-minute mon low log and music and dancing and, of course, the awards. >>> and the oscar goes to -- argo. >> in a surprise appearance from the white house, first lady michelle obama announced the winner for best picture. ben affleck, not nominated for best director, expressed his gratitude for this win. >> it doesn't matter how you get knocked down in life, because that's going to happen, all that matters is you to get up. i love you. >> in the best actress category, a bit of a stumble. >> you guys are standing up because you feel bad that i fell. that's really embarrassing. thank you. >> reporter: jennifer lawrence winning for her role in "silver linings playbook," later celebrating with her family at the governor's ball. >> and the oscar goes t

. vice president joe biden says thattheu.s. isready to hold talks, but only if tehran is serious. biden says there is type for diplomacy to succeed, but it needs to and the iran built a new fighter jet which it claims can evade radar. there is a growing self-reliance in military technology. >>> in this country, another online hacker attack. twitter says it quickly shut down at least one attempt to gain access to user data, but hackers may have collected information on 250,000 of more than 200 million active users, including user names, e-mail addresses and encrypted passwords it reset passwords and sent them e-mails telling them to create a new one and encourages users to change passwords regardless of their account is compromised. >>> the scottish terrier affectionately known as barney, george bush's beloved dog has died at the age of 12. the statement on president bush's facebook page. barney never discussed politics and was a faithful friend. >>> and the usda is proposing a new set of rules which would ban candy, high-calorie sports drinks and greasy food sold on school campus

already. he'lltellusallabout it later on. >> he looks really good. you look good in that suit, really. >>> we'll begin, of course, with that breaking news, the tragic loss in the world of country music. troubled star mindy mccready has died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. andrea canning, you spoke with the star just a few week ago. >> so sad and so bizarre we were just there. i texted her a couple of nights ago asking her how she was and how sorry i was and i never heard back. now it appears she was battling those demons, those personal demons sthee had for so long. sunday night neighbors her two gun shots. she is said to have shot her dog and herself in a place that had great meaning for the singer. >> i just keep telling myself the more suffering i go through, the greater character i'll have. >> reporter: in her final interview last month before reportedly taking her own life, country singer mindy mccready sounded hopeful, but things apparently became too much to bear. >> i don't know why he did what he did. he's gone. i cannot get him back. >> reporter: dan hanks, los angeles-ba